it is Recorded in Sacred Scripture to be A Natural Tree Planted by God in Paradise And of such A Nature That whosoever did Eat of it should have their Eyes opened against themselves and so to be made As Gods To know Good and Evil It may be God would Admonish Adam both Inwardly and Outwardly of what He did Inwardly and in His Heart either Forbid or Teach him That He would likewise for the greater Evidence Set before His Outward eyes But I desire withall that they will grant This that What was Outwardly done The Same also happened Inwardly in the heart of Adam That he was there Tempted by the SEED of the Serpent To make some Account and Reckoning of his own Wisdom Will and Nature and not to Submit Himself unto God As Void of all Name Knowledge or Work But to be SOMETHING of himself And There are Two Causes that move me to think so The First is this Because the Promise is That the seed of the Woman should Bruise the Head of the Serpent Now We read of no Natural or Living Serpent whose head was so Bruised by that Seed Therefore say I As the Spiritual Seed of the Woman was in Adams Heart So likewise was the Serpents Seed For Man indeed was made Good Not of the Substance of God But out f Nothing And therefore He Alwayes Turns Himself from God and Inclineth to His own NOTHING and Vanity For I call The Devil Sin Death and Hell NOTHING As many of the Ancient Fathers have done and especially Taulerus For God Never Created Them But they are A NON-ENTITY A NOT-BEING which is Contrary And Perfectly oposite to ENTITY and BEING And Peradventure this was the Devil that dwelt in Adam and Seduced Him As well as in Lucifer The other Cause is this That the Scriptures likewise Witness That The City of God And The Heavenly Ierusalem and The Kingdom of God is a Paradise Within Us And further that God and His Almighty Word Is Our Paradise The Tree of Life The Temple Where we Dwell Walk Sacrifice and Pray As we likewise are His Temple and Paradise And That The BEAST Spoken of in the Revelation Which the Whole World Great and Smal Do At This Day Worship in their Hearts As likewise The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is Within Us. For All the Whole Exterior World or Whatsoever either is Or is done Outwardly are but Onely An Accident and A Figure Signifying The Truth of the thing And The Internal Nature And therefore There is Nothing True of whatsoever is Seen with our Eyes For the Figure and Fashion of this world must pass away and Perish As being Nothing else but a certain Imaginary world And The Figure of the World That is True Right Eternal and subsisting of it Self Consequently all things which in the Bible were done Externally and Signifyingly must again be done and again brought to pass After their Manner And All the History of the Bible All Moses and the Prophets and in Summe the Whole Scriptures Do To This Day Stand in Force And are Continually Accomplished and Fulfilled Internally and Spiritually All things are By Christ Translated into the Truth And it must needs be That All the Prophesies which God spake From the beginning of the world by the Mouth of his Holy Ones must still be Called back Reiterated or Done over again therefore that Shadow or that Tree Was and is Nothing else in the Truth But the Nature Will Knowledge and Life of Adam Of This He should not Have Eaten This He should not have Ascribed or Arrogated To Himself But Rather To be Free and Freely Subject To God and not to have Known anything But What God Knew In Him Nor to have Done any thing But What God Did in Him Nor to have spoken any thing But What God Spake in Him and so forth in the rest To the End That God Without any Impediment Might have Exercised His Almighty Kingdom Will Nature and Power In Him But Himself should have been utterly Void of all Knowledge Will or Nature And not have Arrogated any of These As Proper to Himself This Pleased God This was That Which He Commanded And what He would have had Done To this Interpretation agreeth GERMANE DIVINITY which Resolves That this Tree in the substance thereof is Nothing else But our Own Will and Knowledge of which Alone In all the Earthy Paradise of this Wide World of our Hearts We Ought not to Eat But to Account it as Forbidden Except we will also Eat of Death and Destruction Now then As soon as Adam Fell and did Eat of This Tree The TREE was Immediately Planted in His Mind And afterward Derived into All the Branches and Fruits thereof So that As the Same Word Precept and Forbidding was Common to all So is The same Fall All We which are In Adam Have now Eaten of Death and haue Received from the Serpent This Undigested Poyson Of an ill Bird an ill Egge Hence it may easily be perceived How Every Man is His Own Greatest Enemy And what he ought to think of Himself Of his Own Will Understanding Wisdom and Knowledge Seeing it is the Counsel Seed Wisdom Knowledge and Head of the Serpent Which must By Christ be Bruised In us I say it must needs be That As in the Old Testament was Signified by Circumcision and in the New One by Baptisme All things which we have By Nature and Inheritance from Adam Must Dye That we may Unlearn and Put off All Things Even as we would do The Devil And Death it self viz. Our own Will Prudence Wisdom and Righteousness Wherewith as with Figleaves Our Adam doth Vainly seek to Hide Himself For that is SIN and the Sting of Death Namely To Eat of This Tree And to Arrogate to a Mans Self His own Wisdom Providence Will Nature or Himself But Alas for Woe Who knowes This Who thinks of it Who is it That is Displeased with his Own Will Understanding or Wisdom Oh when shall we forsake them Every Man Delights Himself In His Own Will and Recreates His Mind Sweetly and Contentedly therein Reposing upon His Own Knowledge Understanding and the like The Tree is Fair to be looked upon and Sweet to be Tasted and therefore All Mortal Men do Greedily Swallow and Devoure Death as Adam did But This is the Misery No Man knoweth it No Man thinketh of it But Judgeth it to be Good And All flesh thinks Assuredly That This Is The Tree of Life Even To follow their Own Wills And their Own Conceit and opinion of Good which indeed is false As to Know Much to Learn Much to discern Many Sciences And in sum To become Gods And in the mean time They are not Aware That This is Adams Fall His Biting of the Apple Yea His Bitter Death It Self Continually do we speak of This Miserable Adam and of His Fall and never Take notice that the Same is done In us We Talk of His Eating and detest
it and Him for it And yet WE Continually Eat as well as He. O MAN VVho art Thou That dost so Prepare A Rod foâ— thine Oâ—n Back and givest Sentence against thine Own Life In Condemning Thy first Father Adam and Pereeivest not That thou art First in the Same Trap Here then Consider Diligently VVhat OUR Will Knowledge and Understanding is Whereof we Boast so much And wherewith we Think we may Come into the Presence of God VVhereas Indeed It is Nothing But The Bitterness of Death And The Fruit of the Forbidden Tree VVho is there Among ALL Living Men That Perceiveth This Or will Learn To put Off Deny Fear and Mortifie or Kill His Own VVill and VVisdom Nay rather VVe Hold it Fast Extol and Value it as Pure Gold VVhen as Indeed It is Eternal Death And In This Misery The Whole VVorld â—yeth sick But VVhere are Those Blessed Redeemed Ones THE TREE OF LIFE WHAT IT IS And why Adam was Shut out Forbidden and withholden from it and not suffered to EAT thereof I Can also be Content there should likewise Outwardly have been in Paradise The Tree of Life as you read in the Scripture Whose Fruit might have been so Seasoned and Endowed by God And How it had that Nature that He who should Eat of it should Live for ever and Never Dye And when Adam had first Eaten of the Forbidden Tree and had Fallen as God foretold into Death it might not Now be That He should be permitted to Eat of the Tree of Life Otherwise he must have Lived for ever And the Word of God If thou eat thereof thou shalt dye the death had been false Moreover God who is meer Love and cannot for ever be angry with His own workmanship did well provide That Man in this Misery Hated of God and an Enemy to Him might not for ever Leada Wretched and Calamitous Life And for that cause he drave him out of Paradise from the Tree of Life into this House of Penance as it were The World And shewed him a Way whereby he might again come out of Death into Paradise To this Tree of Eternal Life But In the mean time He fenced The Tree of Life with a Flying Cherub and a Glittering Sword Lest Adam in this Banishment should Eat Life For it seemed better to the Good God That Man should Dye and so by Death put off this miserable Life and Changing It To be Translated to a better For He knew That Life after this Death Cold Calamity Banishment would be so much more Welcom and He so much more Dear unto God after Victory Therefore God Who cannot Hate Us Ever deals Mercifully with Us Howsoever he handleth Us If we would alwayes take it In Good Part And not Suspect Him to be our Enemy For so is The Nature and Suspicion of Mans Heart Now I do Thus think That for Agreater Testimony The Same thing did likewise Happen In the True Paradise i. e. In Adams Heart As There is The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil Which is the Seed Speech Counsel Knowledge Wisdom and VVill of the Serpent So there also is The Tree of Life The Seed Speech and Counsel of God or of The VVoman And As God and the Devil are Even so are These Two Trees So Contrary The One to the Other That the One brings Life The Other Death And therefore It is Impossible That whoso Eates of the One should at the same Time Eat of the Other or come unto it As being Separated by a Flying Cherub and a Glittering SWORD Thus I Interpret VVinged Sin and Obstinate Disobedience Which is elsewhere called in Scripture A Separation For who so Eats of the Tree of Knowledge of Good And Evil That is He that Greedily Swallowes down and Devoureth Humane and Diabolical VVisdom He Is already separated from the Tree of Life That is from the VVisdom speech and Knowledge of God Neither of these Wisdoms Speeches VVills Knowledges Can indure the Other Neither can One come from the One to the Other So great is the Gulf between them Being as Far Divided asunder as Heaven and Hell He that Eats of the Tree of Life That is Of The VVord of God He is Born of God and cannot Dye No Nor Sin For Their Fruit Doth Eat The Eater and Translate Him into His Own Nature That is Into Life As Elsewhere The Scripture Speaketh Of Eating of Christ His flesh For indeed It is The same Thing To Eat Christ To Live in His Word To Believe To Know God and the like As likewise it is All one to Be in Adam To Live in Adam To Dye To Eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil To Obey the Seed and Word of the Serpent And to become GODS Therefore He that Eats of the Deadly Tree And cleaves to the Word and Wisdom of the Serpent And Being Born of Satan and Affected as men are Lives in Flesh and Blood He cannot Do Well or Please God As Contrariwise The Other Cannot Sin Do Evil or Displease God Therefore He that will have the One Must needs part with The other We must of Necessity Go out of the Wisdom of Man and The Serpent and from The Forbidden Tree That so The Wisdom of the Tree of Life may Enter into Us Adam and the Wisdom of the Flesh must Dye in Us That Christ may Live in us and The Spirit Have the Government The Life of the One is Alwayes The Death of the Other And The Weakness of the One The Strength of the Other No man can serve two Masters And in vain shalt thou strive To Reconcile Couple together and Make Agree God and Adam or Christ and the Serpent Light and Darkness The Old man and the New That the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil planted in the heart of Adam Is the Seed Speech and Spirit of the Serpent And that great Idol ANTICHRIST Sin Death the Devil and the BEAST spoken of in Daniel and the Revelation which is the Greatest and most ordinary Worshiping of Idols VVHat do you think is the BEAST of which Daniel writeth that Resisteth and Blasphemeth the Most High and killeth his Saints What is that Old Serpent that overthrew Adam and Eve What is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil What is the Shameless King and Antichrist Of which Daniel wrote and Pâ—ul to the Thessalonians What is That many-Headed Monster and the Seven-Headed Beast which the whole world Adoreth Of which is spoken in the Revelation What is Sin What Death What the Devil Himself But every mans own Will Wisdom Reason Religion Righteousness Skill Delight For which cause Paul calleth it Death it self Enmity against God and Folly before God And Saint Iames calls it Earthly Humane Devillish wisdom Because these three are one and the same and that is Devillish which is meerly Humane And contrariwise For Man the Devil Adam and the Serpent are the same and do agree For the Serpent did
indure STRONG MEAT and not to be alwayes Fed with PAPPE SERMON VIII Rom. 8. 17. If so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together THose which have no part in Christs sufferings they have none in his glory And those are expressed in Phil. 2. 4. in two words 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. 2. 7 8. 1 In Emptying of himself 2 In Humbling himself And these are sufferings indeed Far beyond his scourgings far beyond his nailing to the cross far beyond his crowning with thoâ—ns far beyond his whipping his mockings c. All those sufferings are not worthy to be named the same day with these for though he was God equall with his Father yet he came down from Heaven And dwelt among Us among men in the similitude of sinful flesh and took upon him the form of a servant And made Himself of no reputation and he had not so much as a hole to hide his head in and also he became Obedient unto death Now if these sufferings of Christ be in us If we Empty our selves viz. Of all that gall of sin and bitterness that is in us and also of all our Excellencies and Endowments both of Nature and Grace and lay it all down At the feet of Christ giving him all the power and glory for ever Then be assured whatever we do on this foundation God accepts it be it never so little And though we do never so much without this it is to God no more Then the cutting off a dogs neck and as odious as the offering up of swines blood under the Law On whom saith God Isa. 66. 2. and to whom will I look even to the humble to him that is of an humble and contrite spirit and trembleth at my words This foundation being laid Then come what will come Then neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor heights nor depths nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Iesus Christ our Lord Rom. 8. 38. They instead of separating us from Christ shall make us nearer to him and shall make us morâ— conformable to our head To fill up that which is behind of the measure of Christs suffering IN US which is his body And you may remember we compared these sufferings with Christ to those six steps which are the six steps that led up to Solomons Throne to wit 1. Was To abhor in our selves all those sins and defilements that we are guilty of which we called Condemnation The second was To beat our selves to dust to just Nothing which we called Annihilation yea to less then Nothing and vanity The third was Willingness to forsake all to Sell All for Christ which we called Resignation That is To be alwayes in affection and readiness till GOD call us to action The fourth was Indifferency which we are now to come to to stand equally affected to all conditions Faith being the ground as I told you the last day Believing undoubtedly that nothing can be better done then what is done God doing All. We have a pattern set us of this by the Apostle Paul He was come to this Ephes. 4. 11 12. I have learned saith he Implying That he was long about the work before he could attain it but now I am grown to be a good Scholar in it That is in what estate soever I am to be content and now I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me I know Now but not till now Both how to be abased and I know how to abound Every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry to abound and suffer need Phil. 4. 11 12. I have learned and I am instructed saith he which implies that there is a secret in Gods school which cannot be attained at the first entrance and by Beginners but when we are well entred and exercised therein we may know how too look with a smooth face upon all changes for they do as Christ their pattern in that of Iohn 4. 34. which is a copy set St. Paul by Christ My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work they account it not their meat and drink to do their own will As all the world doth but to do whatever He wills And to suffer whatever He Wills this is Their meat and Their drink and as the Apostle sayes I count it not in any case expedient to consult with flesh and blood surely in this case it is not onely not expedient but altogether unlawful for how tart is this to flesh and blood To tell a man when he is to go a journey he must be alike patient and alike thankful and he must neither desire fair weather nor foul To tell a man that is at Sea He must neither desire a wind with him nor against him To tell a man that expects a harvest he must neither desire a good harvest nor a bad Sunshine nor Rain To tell a man that is Naked that clothes and no clothes must be all one to him To tell a poor man That money or no money must be all one To tell a man that is sick that pain and ease health and sickness must be all one to him Labour and pleasure Ease and suffering Liberty and Imprisonment Glory and Infamy All this must be alike to him How can flesh and blood indure this Doctrine if we consult with it And therefore He that Means to practise this must not at all consult with flesh and blood As the Apostle saith I â—onsulted not with flesh and blood And the reason is because Thou mayest not desire any thing that may cross Gods will or his providence for that weather that is for thee may be hurt to another and that wind that is against thee may be for the good of another c. You will say it may be Here is a doctrine indeed What will this Babler bring us to at last Acts. 7. 10. Then certain Philosophers of the Epicureans and of the Stoicks encountred him and some said What will this Babler say other some He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange Gods beâ—â—use he preached unto them Iesus and the resurrection What new doctrine is this I have been an Auditor and a Professor this 20 30 or 40 years and I never heard such a doctrine as this And I have heard above a 100 Preachers and none like this man I never heard my own wayes so much thwarted He clean contradicts our byas and we have been alwayes taught otherwise and therefore this cannot be true doctrine these are some new tricks and some new crochets and devices some new querks and quillets for novelty This Doctrine is as strange to you as if I were A Setter forth of
the same is the Snare Poyson and Death of all Natural men Therefore As All Works before Faith and Regeneration are Sin and Unclean so also To Read the Scriptures to praise God to fast pray and the like and not onely to torture and kill men or to steal and the like for seeing that whatsoever is not of faith is sin and to the Unclean nothing is Clean but they are Reprobate to every good work It must needs follow that all their Seemingly good life exercises and vertues are sin and nothing but dissimulation So God doth often in Scripture reject the Fasts Holidays Sacrifices Prayers Praises Preachings Gifts and Charitable Deeds of the Pharisees as well as the known and gross impieties of the Publicans the wicked words of men and their Violences Usuries Murthers Adulteries Thefts c. Therefore is Regeneration Principally necessary before which All things are alike sin whatsoever thou canst Think Speak Do leave Undone Read Hear Write Give Love Worship Will Know Have or Be for as to them that Love God all things are to their Good so to them that love the world all things are to their Evil yea God himself is to them Perverse contrary and a Devil and his True word is to them hateful and deadly for it is meet that to the froward all things should fall out Untowardly and to them that are Contrary to God all things should be Cross wherefore as they are not Enough so they are not alwayes good those Sayings Fast Pray Give to the Poor Read the Scriptures c. But these before all things Be Regenerated and Born Again of God and his word and then Thou wilt be Fit to do All things which that New-birth will teach thee which Cannot Sin and whatever thy hand shall find to do thou shalt do it Well for God will be present with thee for then thou being Iust shalt do Iust things It is not enough to do a thing but to do it Well else better be idle and leave doing By this means the good deeds which good men do are not rejected but onely the shew and feigning of good deeds which that Herd of Apes do imitate It were expedient indeed to read and hear all things if a man knew how to read or hear but few there are that have the Art of God to hear and read his word and far fewer that can so pierce into this Thorny-thicket that they be not rent and torn Therefore I will not by these my writings scare any man from any right Art of writing learning or reading but do admonish all men to see they use and do all things rightly and first of all in the word of God to grow Fools and Infants and then at the length we shall know how to read do and Use all things profitably and then we may safely Philosophize even in the writings of the Gentiles or any others and like Natural Birds fly among all the boughs and branches not taken whereas before we could not safely be conversant no not in the Sacred Scriptures themselves without eating Death from God and his word Briefly by this you may See the conclusion of the whole business And be it thus determined Onely the Pious and Regenerate man can and doth use All things Well and with pleasure and profit read all Arts and all Heathen Books to him there can be nothing Prohibited or Corrupt He is a certain clean Bee upon what thing soever He Sits He sucks from it meer Honey and Life yea even from Death and Sin Again the old and Natural man which in Scripture is called flesh and blood can use nothing at all well and to him all Arts and all the Nature of things nay the very Scriptures and God Himself and His Word do bring Death and Evil He can neither Do nor Read nor Know any thing Profitably or Pleasing to God He is Abuse and Poyson it self and an Unclean Spider which Siâ— where it will sucks nothing thence but Poyson Sin Death even out of the Scriptures themselves Out of things Well done out of God and His word So it comes to pass that to the wicked all things are deadly and forbidden such as are good deeds to make or hear Sermons to read the Scriptures to do good to the poor to pray to fast and such like as is before said for to the unclean all things are unclean and hurtful so that it cannot be but the things that to the Good are profitable shall be to them Unclean and deadly Briefly the good man in point of God is never at rest till being Entred into God He have lost his own Pleasure Will Act yea Himself and all His things in God so that wanting Sense Will Desire He doth now as the word requires at his hands Covet nothing so that now God in him freely Wills Knows Desires Doth leaves Undone How What Why and to whom he pleaseth Summarily In such a man God hath freely his Will Kingdom Pleasure Place so that he is not now The man he was but is as A dead man who attributes nothing to himself yea so far that God is in him All things God in him Loves Reads Writes Preacheth Gives Prays Hears Knows and is All things and therefore it is that the great God hath determined to Crown own or Reward Nothing in us but His own work the rest which himself in us doth not Know Read Write Do leave Undone Speak Preach Hear Think are Sin and therefore saith St. Paul Now live not I but Christ liveth in me And I dare not Do nor Say anything which Christ doth not Say or Do in me To this Iudge let every man refer all his life he shall then soon find in what estate all his Affairs are and to whose Service he hath addicted himself and offered his members as a living sacrifice Let him observe himself and understand who it is that worketh in him And That he to whom he liveth and beareth fruit His Servant he is Now the fruits of the two Masters are reckoned up in the Epistle to Gal. 5. 22. The fruit of the spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance c. against such there is no Law and they that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts if we live in the spirit let us also walk in the spirit c. I would be glad with all my heart if by the help of God I might have so much power as to drive all natural men from their good Deeds Actions Omissions Life Arts Reading Writings and the rest unto God the True Sabbath that lacking both hands and feet and utterly void of will Art Desire they might keep Holy-day from their own works Truly then God which otherwise goeth not forth in our strength would go forth in them with great strength for indeed God must and will go forth and the time is at hand that the heavens must keep Holy day as it is in that
the soul then and not before expect to hear and see God God is never seen or heard but when all things in us as of us are at rest Those that come and acknowledge him and deny themselves and all they are even all their parts both of Nature and Grace these are come to enâ—oy their rest these onely keep Subbaths these are they that have overcome and are set down with him in his throne even as he hath overcome and is set down in his Fathers Throne In the evening it is said God came into the Garden and called to Adam in tâ—e cool of the day Gen. 3. 8. that is when the heat of Adams lust and self-will was over till then lust made such a noise in Adams soul God could not be heard Then the Lord God puts Adam upon the examination of his soul Adam where art thou whâ—t hast thou done hast thou tasted 〈◊〉 eaten of thine own will that forbidden frâ—it whiâ—h 〈◊〉 shalt find the very eating or tasting will be death to thee which every soul thâ—t God hath really spoken to findes true in his own feeling and experience Thus have we run through this hour allotted it may be God may open your eyes that you may see into these things and I pray God you may even far beyond what I am able to express that you your selves may say and feel that this knowledge is that one thing necessary For this is that word which if you believe not will be the savour of death unto death but if believed and received will be the savour of life unto life THE STARRE IN THE EAST Leading unto the true MESSIAH 1 COR. 2. 2. But I determined to know nothing among you save Iesus Christ and him crucified In two Sermons Preached at a Private meeting at KENSINGTON BEloved there are such things In-wrapt and folded up in the sacred Sriptures of God Almighty which being once known he that knows them in a right way he need not with the Apostle here being taught by the holy Spirit deire to know any thing more And because the treasure that is in these words and also in all the words of God is so fast lockt up so that no natural man can come at them he knows nothing of them for he perceiveth not the things of God neither indeed can he for they are spiritually discerned Therefore let us implore and beseeâ—h his help who hath the keys to open the seven seals as it is in the Revelation of S. Iohn He who onely was counted worthy to open the book that He may unloâ—k and reveal to us these precious mysteries I determined to know nothing among you c. What doth the Apostle mean by these words was he a man that knew nothing or was he an ignorant in all those other things and therefore sleighted them That because he had no learning therefore sleighted learning No 〈…〉 me leave to tell you He was no Fool he was 〈…〉 he was no Babâ—â— no not in all that great and â—hiefest learning which was in his time accounted so highly of for he was as great a proficient Therein as most of them all He was brought up as he â—aith of himself at the feet of Gamaliel and he waâ— a great man in the learning of the Pharisees who were at that time the onely learned men of the Church yea of the whole world Insomuch that they were had in reverence of all because they thought these Rabbins had all knowledge that these were the onely men to whom God himself opened and revealed himself So that he was counted a madman or a fool one led with the spirit of error and schism that should dare to oppose or speak a word against them Yet our Apostle here being inferiour to none of them all and could have gone their paths to have gotten their estimation in the world if he had then seen any excellency in them as before he did he could have gloried after the slesh as well as they But now having to do with these Corinthians and seeing the vanity of all humane learning without this knowledge he layes all aside and undervalues all as dross and dung and comes to them in wonderful plainness of speech that he might preach to them Iesus Christ and not himself as they did to gain honour and profit in the world and to make themselves great in the esteem of others it was death to them to fail of these ends These they put so 〈◊〉 confidence both Preachers and People in this kind of way and in this learning being onely litterally learned and knowing in the Scriptures onely Externally so that all the world was undervalued to them for so it was at that time All this great fabrick of the world was divided into two parts onely viz Iews and Barbarians if they were not Iews they were Barbarians and Heathens And this kind of learning was then and so alwayes is accompanied with all manner of riches and honour with all the glory and splendour of the world every man bowed to their parts and worth they were presented with gifts and it was accounted a great honour to have them accepted by them they were repaired to at all times As to resolve doubts and give counsel c. they were as Oracles in the peoples esteem generally And he that went not this way was like to lead an obscure beggerly life no body taking notice of him scarce having a hole to put his head in nay He should be sure to be trampled down and cast under foot by these great men by their great blustering and by their great parrs and by their great learning The foxes have holes and the birds of this world have nests but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head Well notwithstanding all this our Apostle sticks not at it but layes all aside learning credit honour and dishonour riches poverty he tramples all under foot and is content to expose himself to whatever their malice could bring about he reposes no confidence in whatever Parts he had equal with them and sayes that he expected and was content to be accounted a Fool and to hide himself and be as one that had nothing in him He will never go about to dispute it out with these great Rabbins that is not the way he knew that would do no good for he had experience that of disputations there was no end for every one stuck so fast and unmoveable to his opinion one to shew his wit and eloquence another to gain honour and riches another because he had declared what he held and being once past the bars of his lips he must not recant and be a flincher and discover his ignorance wherein he had declared so much confidence but must then stand it out to the death so one for one end and another for another mens Ends being infinite and unspeakable so that therein he had no hope Well
and rule in thee and be KING in thy soul and Tread all his enemies under his feet thou hast betrayed him into his enemies hands Thou hast delivered him up to be crucified As long as thy sins live and thou pretendest to be a servant to him Thou hast made A MOCK of the Son of God And counted the blood of the Covenant an Unholy thing wherewith he would have sanctified thee therefore ye must seek to have your part in the first Resurrection if you hope the second death shall have no power on you But Let me remember my self Perhaps friends I speak Riddles to you for you may say in your hearts Far be it from me to crucifie my Saviour I find no Christ crucified in me nor I would not do it no not for a Thousand worlds What to have my hands imbrewed in the Death and BLOUD of the Son of God God forbid No poor soul I believe thou feelest it not so Because the strong man keeps the house and He keeps all at peace But if once Jesus Christ come into thy soul Even He that was dead and now begins to live That he begins to rouse up himself like a Lion He will then Make all the beasts of the Forrest to TREMBLE And know this if he once Will Lift up himself it is not in our power nor in the power of all the lusts and corruptions in the world nor in all the powers of darkness to keep him Down But Till this time He is content To serve your iniquities But When He doth Arise He will then shew you and make you sensible How you have scourged and crucified him All this while He will make you Amazed to see How all this while you have had him Live in you and been so near you and you have Crucified him What I Crucified my Saviour all this while and I not aware of it Oh wretch that I am Oh! now now he cryes out Oh! let these Jews dye let them live no longer these lusts ' these Sins of mine that have crucified and put to death The LORD of Life When I read the story of his life and death how he was used deâ—ided buffered c. little did I think that I was He that was in doing all those things to Christ my self Then thou shalt clearly see that when Christ commanded thee These and these things to be done Thou hast cast his Commands behind thy back and thou wouldest not have him rule in thee but thou chosest rather to follow thine own will and what self and flesh commanded Oh! here now thou hast Newly pierced Iesus Christ to the heart with a sharp spear Thou confessest truth it is God commands me to do these things to cross my self to forsake my own will and follow him Tush but it is all one I will and I must have my own will I will not stand bent to these Laws thou sâ—â—ppest in sunder these bands and casts these cords from thee Oh Friend thou art now The very man that hath newly wounded the Son of God and brought from his sâ—de water and blood Oh Beloved these are The Spears These are the Mocks these are the Scourgings these are Vinegar and Gall to Christ And that man that hath Thus Crucified him He hath more truly crucified him then ever the Jews did But after a man is brought to see and feel This How do you think Can that man that sees how he hath crucified Christ In him and put him to death Can he go on and crucifie him still Can he wound and put him to death still Can he be so Cruel to take these Spears these sins and lusts and wound him to the very heart again Oh! no no He cannot He cannot he will rather chuse to dye Ten thousand deaths Whatever he doth he will not wound again So Meek and Merciful A Saviour But it may be there is this Qâ—estion which may run in your thoughts and it may be it is Hard for you to conceive How Christ should suffer and not God to suffer seeing he is God and man It is certain God cannot suffer and therefore ye must understand That Christ in Himself cannot suffer but he suffers in his body in his members Those types and shadows of his sufferings are but to shew how He still suffers in his Members Internally and spiritually He suffers In regard of Us and to Us and for Us because we live and our sins and lusts live and our Self lives and therefore He suffers He is Crucified and dead For whatever we see done by Christ in the letter is An Embleme of that He doth for Ever For He is the Lamb slain from the beginning Iesus Christ is yesterday and to day and the same for ever Did you see him yesterday nailed to the Cross he is the same to day and for ever c. yet He HIMSELF suffers not but his body For Example my body can never suffer unless my soul be in it neither can my soul suffer without my body and yet my body cannot suffer without my soul Then wonder not if it may be thus in a creature if Jesus Christ in himself suffereth not but onely Himself in his members neither can his members suffer unless he be in them I my self saith Paul fill up in my body The measure of the sufferings of Christ. Beloved These are Divine sublime things if your eyes be but open to see them And you having This KEY put into your hand by God himself for God himself must interpret his own meaning then you will have Such a light such a Demonstration of Truth so that Those Scriptures which you knew not before what to make of them nor what they concerned they were So dark and Obscure and Contradictory Now all the whole Scriptures open of themselves and shew you all their Hidden Iewels and Unspeakable Treasures And now my Brethren God forbid that after an hours or more patient hearing that I or you should fall under the reproof of Iobs friends In ventum verba protulisse or to have entertained you here so long with Wind or lyes as Ephraim is said to have dieted himself with Hos. 12. 1. He feedeth on wind and followeth after the east wind He daily encreaseth lyes God forbid That all we have said should be but as Lyes or wind or Nothing to you But if you see these things in experience Then Beloved you shall see wonderful things How all Davids Psalms come in How the Fat Bulls of Basan came about him like Bees and How his feet were fast in the stocks and how he was overwhelmed in the mire and so throughout the whole Psalms and the rest of the Scriptures still seeing and taking them as done spiritually and invisibly And so you shal come to see The Scriptures to be A Bottomless SEA where in the Elephant may swim and the Leviathan may sport himself Neither would many
doing so and if there was at any time any good in thee know that is none of thine that is his own work and no praise belongs to thee at all Now what sayest thou Davids heart smote him when he had numbred the people so should ours in numbring our sins Nay farther consider that not onely all thy own sins are laid upon thee but all the sins of all the men in the world that ever were are or ever shall be Because thou art of that Body of that Race A member of that sinful body and race proceeding from our first Parents which stained the Race and House in the very root by rebellion and Treason And that all this hath been in doing by thee almost this 6000 years so that when thou wert but six dayes old thou wert a 6000 years sinner when thou wert little above a span long thou wert an Everlasting Transgressor As in the body of Christ All the Members have right and interest in all the excellencies and graces of the whole body the Faith of Abraham the Zeal of Iosiah the Patience of Ioh the Meekness of Moses and adde to that whatever virtue is in the head Christ which is in Heaven They are all thine Thou sharest in all so that we may then say Thou art all fair my Love there is no spot in thee So thou being of that sinful race and body thou hast right and thereby art intitled to all the vilest sins that ever were committed in the world As it was said concerning those that crucified Christ that God might bring on them all the sins that ever were committed from the bloud of the righteous Abel What canst thou now say for thy self O wretched Off-spring of the race of flesh and bloud but that Nebuchadnezzars Oven should be heat seven times hotter will it not be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgement then for thee What canst thou say is not Tophet prepared of old and prepared for thee O thou foul and leprous creature The pile and fuel thereof is fire and much wood and the breath of the Lord like a stream of brimstone shall kindle it Esay 30. 33. Hast not thou by thy so often sinning Even trod the bloud of the Covenant under thy feet and done despight unto the spirit of grace hast not thou chosen thy sins and lusts before thy Saviour and hast therein cryed out for a Barabbas to escape and concerning Christ hast cryed crucifie him crucifie him What will ye crucifie your King I say you crucifie Him cruciâ—ie Him His Bloud be on us and on our children c. Yet thou condemnest Iudas when thou readest how Villanously he betrayed and sold his dear Meek and precious Master I ask thee Who now hath sold his Master what for 30 pieces nay for the pleasure of one darling sin which will for ever destroy thee And thou condemnest the Devil who sinned but once and was thrown down from his place and thou condemnest Adam who eat but once of the forbidden fruit and was immediately cast out of Paradise and will not that weight of sin that as a TALENT of Lead lies upon thee make thee once groan or complain many aggravations by circumstances might be presented before thee for circumstances alwayes aggravate nay sometimes create the sin Friend What sayest thou to this charge if thou canst say nothing to me then what shall I say to thee Then thus Onely the blood of Jesus Christ purgeth from all sin if thou hast not right and part in that all thy sins lie upon thee And what ever he performs in thee that God accepts and nothing else for be assured what ever prayers what ever sighs what ever groans thou puttest up to him he loaths all but what his Son makes but all His requests are heard and granted I know you can in words have present recourse to that saying That though we are sinners indeed and grievous sinners yet the blood of Christ purgeth us from all sin I know that this very word were it spoken by Christ himself is enough indeed to silence Death and Hell and all the powers of darkness and is armour of proof against all Satans fiery darts and it is a most undoubted truth bâ—t then say I it is Christ himself must pronounce this saying to thee The blood of Iesus Christ purgeth thee from all sin If Christ pronounce these words then art thou indeed for ever acquitted but if thou sayest this of thy self to thy self and by thy self thou art not acquitted I know if Christ speak these words it is present death to all sin and unbelief they are the utter destruction to Sin and Sathan but if spoken onely by thy self they do but harden thee in sin they do but give new life to sin Thus much have I spoken to thee that thou mayest come to this first work of Humiliation namely Condemnation of our selves But O my Dear Brethren what are my words if Christ speak not by me he must preach his own truth to thee And this I say except thou first come to this work of Condemnation thou wilt never come to the second which is Annihilation not to any of the rest For every step is one above another These steps are ascending for as Solomon prayed that God would hear the prayers of all those that came and prayed in that house of the Lord and did see the plague of their own heart 2 Chron. 6. for except they saw that their prayer was in vain so say I not that it is in vain to pray but it is vain to trust to faith in vain to trust to Christ it will do no good except you see the plague of your own heart for thou mayest pray long enough and believe in Christ long enough if thou doest not see thy just worthiness of being destroyed if thou doest not see just cause of censuring and condemning thy self to the lowest Hell and that thou seriously confess That hell was not made in vain but that it was justly made And for thee and that it were just and righteous that God should cast thee thither nay not onely so but that you feel your souls in the Bitter agonies of Hell already and that the Torments thereof are seized upon you then there were hope That thy spirit would be saved and delivered Till thou art come to this never tell me of the blood of Christ That it purgeth from all sin but thou art none of them to whom it belongs for thou hast neither part nor portion in this matter If ye suffer with Christ then also shall ye be saved by him and reign with him SERMON VII ROM 8. 17. If so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together BEloved I will trust your memories for that which I have delivered before out of these words and come immediately to the second of these six steps which I have
so In-stil this Wisdom and Fâ—igned Goodnese into the Nature of Adam that the Serpents Seed and Wâ—rd was in Adam made a corporal Man So that now the same thing may be said of them both And as they that are born of God and in whom the word of God is made Man or Flesh are called Gods and One Spirit with God so all men being Sprung of flesh and bloud before they be Born again and before they are Planted into Christ and Born of the Spirit are justly called Devils and the Devils Children and off-spring Therefore that which is Humane onely is evil and that which is Devillish is Humane Again What is the fall of Adam but the wisdom of the flesh and the fruit of the Forbidden Tree What is that Old Dragon that came out of Hell and Drew down from Heaven with himself with his Tail a great part of the Stars of Heaven But onely the wisdom of this Tree Which extols it self against God and would it self be God and place his Seat with the Highest I pray What else Are the thoughts of the flesh What is Sin What Arrogance but the Fruits and Wisdom of this Tree What are the Decrees of all men and the bent of their Reason against God Their Devises Light Books c. but the cunning of the Devil from this Tree Eaten What is all the worship of Idols The false Religion of all the wicked Iews Turks Gentiles Mamalukes and all false Christians What are all their Leagues Conventicles Ceremonies But the Apple of this Tree Which counterfeiting The Tree of Life sheweth to be pleasant fruits but are such as are death it self No man can sufficiently express The general worshipping of Idols wherewith All the corners of the World and the Hearts of men are stuffed How common it is to all men Who is he that Adores not Himself and saith to his Own Hand Reason Knowledge Honesty Art and Wisdom Thou art My God In thee I Hope In thee I Trust They do not I grant say thus with their mouth but their Whole life and their Idolatrizing mind saith as much by their deeds Here Here it is that all Mortal men deny God and testifie it by their works For if they think there be A God why do they not leave Vengeance to God Why are they so Anxiously careful Why do they so exercise mischief and fraud and so deceive one another Why do they make War and Strife right or wrong for mine and thine Why do they so Lye Deceive and Flatter one another Why do they forget God and His sayings making no account of his Commandements Wherefore do they labour Night and Day to Get and Heap up Riches Truly all this is because they believe not That God hath any care of them or will or can Revenge for them And therefore it is necessary that they Help and Revenge themselves Otherwise they might look long enough unto Gods Hand but be overcome and starve before Roasted Geese flye into their mouthes as they say and before he will avenge them on their Enemies And they might be killed ten times over and they might all beg their bread if they will have ought to do with God and truth in good earnest No they must not be wanting to themselves but make their own Markets by Lying Deceiving Cousening and Usury This This they are assured will do them good and inrich them Whereas his commandments would come too late for to Help them and fail them at most need and the Word of God is an insufficient Help in Adversity Therefore it pleaseth them To kiss their own Hand To speak Bigge words And to Admire themselves for who else is Our God saith the Whole world by their Works Of that Great Idol of Mans Wisdom and Knowledge How men kiss their own Hands and the whole world doth diligently Worship Onely it SELF and the works of their Own Hands That is the Inventions Arts Counsels of their own Reason and Wisdom VVHat Other thing is the Worship of Idols Superstition Witchcrast Evil Doctrine and the Ordinances of men Then the Wisdom Reason Inventions Crafts Actions Instincts and Prudence of men Therefore the worshipping of Idols is but to fashion such a form like unto God not according to his word as He Teacheth Figureth and Formeth Himself In us But according to our opinion and Judgement of God Moreover what is sin Other then Our own Will Wisdom Counsel Sown in the mind of Adam and in his posterity by the Seed of the Serpentâ— Consider the Purpose Course Life of All mankind where how thou wilt and it is nothing but Humane wisdom Here Will every man be his Own God Lead Teach Govern Actuate Revenge Defend Excuse Inrich Himself and the like and every mans own Head Will and Reason is instead of A God unto Him Though the sin and fall of Adam be nothing but Humane Affectation of The Cunning Reason and Wisdom of the flesh Which is therefore worthily called by God Folly and Enmity against God yea Death it self and Devillish Wisdom All men ought with Christ to bring Man to nothing and by daily lesâ—ening and depressing Him to make him An Ass A Fool and a Child But now it is clean contrary All men build up The Man that he may prove Wise Glorious and Famous Here are so many Cart-loads of Arts to the end The wretched and unprofitable Man may become Great Eminent Praised and Excellent And may obtain many Places Titles and Names Here young men are purposely inslamed with a desire of Glory that they may not be content to sit in the lower form but may Domineer in the Pulpits and Teaching-places And to the end there are Artificers imployed to make the Scholars Accute Witty Knowing in all kinds of Crafts and Exercises and in all Exercises Arts and Literal Deceits Whereby it appeareth clearer then the Light That the world is contrary An Enemy to God Here Every body Kisseth his own Hands and Adoreth the Wisdom of his own Wit This he accounteth instead of God his Way and Word and indeed which is of all things The greatest and Onely sin and that very fall of Adam And the fountain whence all other sins do flow as Iob confesseth For this is to be obedient and addicted to serve Himself to Admire and Adore Himself to follow his Own will Briefly to be His Own Being glad and willing to be somewhat and to do to Omit and to know somewhat in himself and not to be utterly void of all Name Wâ—ll Work and subject onely to God this is the Onely and most deadly Sin Yea rather the Sink and Mother of all Sin For the Delight Will and Wisdom of the flesh is Death it self and a man is thereby no more profitable better nor religious then a Swine in his death But so far forth as he doth Nothing knoweth Nothing Willeth nothing but bears and suffers and sees God making Holy-day In Him This man
keeps the Sabbath Holy being void of skill and Will is subject onely to God In Him to go Out Work Will know Both How What When and Why he pleaseth Now The Whole World lyeth in This Death and Sin for that it doth nothing else but kiss iâ—s own hand That is Adore the Purpose Counsel Invention and wisdom of it self To this purpose are all things Intended Aimed Drawn and Bent Even the Holy Scripture and Words of God Namely to be consonant to Our Reason and not to cross Our Wisdom Course and Way But all these things must be Overthrown and unlearned again if we will see God For therefore do the Scriptures so Vehemently urge us to becom Children and Fools Vomiting up again all the Art and knowledge of this Forbidden Tree To be purged by the strength of the Tree of Life and consequently let Every man in this case look and observe Himself narrowly what he doth And He shall find all this True in his Own Breast THE Gospel-Treasury Opened OR The Holiest of All unvailing The Second Part. Containing I. Two Sermons on Psal. 68. 17. intituled Militia Coelestis or the Heavenly Host. II. Two sermons on Cant. 1. 7. Where Christ feedeth and where his flock resteth III. A Sermon on Rev. 2. 17. Of eating hidden Manna IV. Heads of Sermons on Ier. 6. 13. Covetousness anatomized or the generality of Covetousness V. A short Exposition on Psal. 148. The Plus Ultra of the creatures VI. The substance of several Sermons on Luke 7. 40. Milk for babes meat for strong men VII Two Sermons on Exod. 3. 1 2 3 4 5 6. The mysterie or the life and marrow of the Scriptures VIII The substance of several Sermons on Mark. 1. 25 26. True and divine Exorcism or the Devil conjured by Iesus Christ. IX A Sermon on Mat. 28. 18. All power is given to Jesus Christ in heaven and in earth Also added I. Dionysius the Areopagite his mystical Divinity II. Grave and notable sayings in Latin and English III. Sayings of a certain Divine of great note IV. Taulerus his holy glass or example of our Lord Iesus Christ. V. Another short instruction by the same Author VI. A short Dialogue between a learned Divine and a beggar LONDON Printed for Rapha Harford At the Bible and States-Armes in Little Brittain 1657. Militia Coelestis OR The Heavenly Host Two Sermons upon Psal. 68. 17. The Chariots of God are twenty thousand thousands of Angels The Lord is among them as in Sinai in the Holy Place Out of which the Bishops pretended matter of high accusation against the Author in their High Commission Court Preached at Giles Cripplegate when those masking Chariots and great shews were presented and acted at the Court the Temple and in the City after which there was so much running to be Spectators He chosing Texts on purpose constantly as his manner still was and being our Saviours practice in the Gospel he making use of present things most in use and most affected to take men off from admiring such vanities or rather to take an advantage by them and thereby improving them to raise up the mind to real Glories which have so few Lovers and Followers Saith our Saviour Matth. 11. 17. But we have piped unto you and ye have not danced we have mourned and ye have not lamented And again saith he Wide is the Gate and broad is the way that leadeth unto destruction and many there be that go that way but strait is the Gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life and few there be that find it Mat. 7. 13. SERM. I. AS this Psalm was undoubtedly Davids so it is more then probable the occasion of penning it as you may see at the bâ—ginning thereof was upon the removing of the Ark to Ierusalem the City of David from the house of Abinadab 2 Sam. 6. At which time David with the rest of the people of Israel played on all manner of Instruments and danced before the Ark Whereupon Michal his wife Sauls daughter despised him for a fool An extasie of joy seizing upon his spirit he enjoying so much of God in it caused him to leap and dance before it She hereupon takes upon her to reprove censure and revile him and in her heart scorned him sayes the text v. 16. But David being lifted up filled with divine joy slighted her and told her he would yet be more vile And the reason of this conjecture is because this Psalm begins with that very Proverb that was appointed to be said at the rising of the Ark out of its place Num. 10. 25. Arise O Lord and let thine enemies be scattered let them that hate him flee before him I dare not offer at any Method in the whole nor at any connexion in the parts For I find that all your curious Dichotomizers do but dream play with the Scripture feeding themselves with fancies and not truth For sure I am the onely method that holy men of old observed was to speak as they were moved by the holy spirit 2 Pet. 1. 21. But these words we have now read they being a clause in this Psalâ— I take them as a Melchizedeck without Father without Mother Heb. 7. 3. so having no dependance We will come to open the words as having a sufficient sense lying within themselves There be many Expositions on this place which I will not trouble you withall for men speak according to men but the Scriptures were written by Gods spirit dictated by his own finger for holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy spirit 2 Pet. 1. 21. We must therefore labour to find out if it be possible what is Gods mind in the Scriptures whatever men say I may call this Text as it is Luke 2. 13. Militia Coelestis the Heavenly Host There was with the Angel a multitude of the Heavenly Host praising God or as Iacob did the Angels Gen. 32. 2. when he saw the Angels he said This is Gods host for there is in them both greatness and terribleness which is proper to the Angels of God But that we may give you the parts of the woâ—ds There are four things represented in them 1 Their Nature they are called Chariots 2 Their Number they are said to be twenty thousand or thousands of thousands that is they are innumerable or numberless 3 In regard of their Names they are here called Angels 4 In regard of the Commander of all these numberless number of Chariots and Angels and that is God himself The Chariots of God are twenty thousand even thousands of Angels â— Their Nature they are called Currus Chariots The mention of Chariots is as ancient as any History either sacred or profane they being used both for peace and warre In the first Book of Moses Gen. 41. 43. there is mention made of Pharaohs triumphant Chariot for Ioseph he that exalted Ioseph And again in
type of this spiritual Pharaoh You see how discouraged he was but to come into his presence but to ask to let the people go to serve the Lord and much more to bring the thing to pass he went for No mâ—rvel if an Embassador for Christ be in this regard discouraged for All the Powers of darkness are before him Christians look on your enemies they have Cities walled up to heaven You have the tower of Babel to climb the soul to be Rescued and brought out of the claws of all the Devils in hell But this is your comfort Christ doth this for you but it must be done in you What 's thy name LEGION If all the whole earth were gathered into one Body into one Army All the Engines and Politick Engineers for war and all the Artillery thereof this were a potent mighty almost inconceiveable strength yet this is Nothing to these Legions One of which One Sin is able to destroy the soul for ever which is of more value then all the world yet all this power cannot destroy one soul whom Jesus Christ hath purchased Then what shall they soul do that hath Legions of these as thick in thy understanding will affections as Motes in the Sun as Devils in the air as thick as words as actions â—y as thoughts For where this strong man keeps the house Mat. 12. 29. all he doth speaks thinks all is sin and he lies close and safe in his trenches and strong holds he thinks himself invincible unconquerable And indeed so long as Men do but take up Arms against him Or use never so many ordinances or duties which they force themselves unto he laughs at the shaking of your spears Job 41. 29. And the neighing of your horses and all the strength you can make of your selves though you call in all the parties you have from all quarters in the soul Yet he is quiet as t is said David was or as a Christian ought to be in his God he can lie down and sleep in the midst of his enemies because God is his strong hold his Castle of defence So sure and safe is Satan in his conceit in the soul where he hath kept long possession foâ— he hath all the men in the world the whole Arm of Fesh he glories in his Offensive and Defensive weapons And indeed till the Lord Jesus begins To rouse up himself That King of Kings and Lord of lords that Mighty Lion of the Tribe of Iudah Aâ—ise in us and dress himself in his Glittering Armour as David speaketh he fears nothing for as I said before he is so strong that indeed he thinks himself too strong for Christ for so long as Christ suffers himself to be Overmastered by our sins and strong lusts he seemes Too weak for him And he insults over him as a Turk over his poor Gally-slave as I may so say or as if you will some cruel Marshal over his prisoners though the Kings best subjects he lays them at his pleasure Neck and Heels he casteth them into noisom dungeons where is nothing but Satans excrements and the filthy spuings of our lusts and These also he sets as Centinels that they stir not whilst he himself jets up and down in pride saith I le bring down the oroudest of you all What know you not me I have his Majesties Commissino for what I do So also This is that Spiritual and true Nebuchadnezar that jets up and down in his own pride Saying Is not this great Babel that I have built for the honour of my majesty and for the glory of my Kingdom Dan. 4. 30. This Devil in us he looks on himself as a Peacock and saith VVhat a goodly Christian am I what a height I have gotten what large knowledge have I obtained I think there is no point in Divinity but I am able to speak to it what doth no body take notice of me and so Arrogates the doing of all good to himself and All Evil as none of his Ah where is the man that can say I find all these things truly and really in my self this were a certain forerunner of the Sun Arising Of the day Break and of the day-stars arising in Our hearts Now will the Lord Christ arise triumphantly in thy soul and make All these beasts of the forrest to tremble Now as it is exprest in Rev. 6. 2. He will ride on conquering and to conquer as David saith Gird on thy sword upon thy thigh O thou most mighty with thy glory and thy majesty Ride on prosperously thine arrows shall pierce deep into the heart of all Our and the Kings enemies now though Satan in us muster up All his forces as now most certainly he will Yet he shall fall from heaven like lightning that which he hath Enjoyed as his heaven had the command of our souls where he hath ruled as Lord and King but yet as a Tyrant though we saw it not but were willing servants as to our Leige-Lord and natural King and were at the command of every servant and lust more then ever the Israelites were under the External Pharaoh under him we made bricks did all servile work our wages was but hard fare and tripes Oh! was not this an Egyptian blindness and darkness a darkness that may be felt but Israel when they most felt their slavery and groaned were nearest deliverance from under Pharaoh we are alwayes in darkness and slavery but when we begin to feel our spiritual darkness when we begin to feel the plagues of Egypt upon us Our water turned into blood and the frogs crawl and cover over all the Land when we are sensible of the murrain the boils and blains and the Plague and Carbuncles in our flesh the hail and the locusts Even the LOCUSTS of the bottomless pit which come all out of the mouth of the Dragon and from Belzebub Prince of the Devils then we shall see the death of our first-born our dearest right hand and right eye sins then we shall feel in our selves that this conquering King begins to carry captivity captive then shall Pharaoh with all his Host be overwhelmed in the midst of the sea Then the soul shall sing the song of Moses Exod. 15. The Lord is my strength and song he is become my salvation the Lord is a man of war the Lord of hosts is his name Pharaohs Chariots and his Host are drowned in the sea the depths have covered them they sank to the bottom as a stone as lead in the mighty waters thy right hand alone is become glorious in power thy right hand O Lorp hath dashed in pieces the enemies and David throughout his Psalms is full of these expressions all tending to empty the creature of all good and all power and to ascribe all to the Lord neither had the Israelites any good success any further then the Lord went with them and did their workes for them Here
when he might have been advanced and made a King he ran away from among them he was Far of another Spirit then is now in the world and alwayes was in the world among the men of the world and no greater sign of a carnal earthly low base spirit then to be alwayes seeking the great things of the world to be tickled and itching after the praises of men to lift up our selves to be some-body in the world to desire to sit above and to trample upon their brethren to have the cap and the knee and yet how many of such men forsooth must be the onely gracious and religious men of this age but you see these are far from the life of Christ As far as the East from the West As far asunder as darkness and light Are these the men that brag of Power and Wisdom and Holiness and yet are thus swallowed up in the world love the praise of men and greetings in the Market and the Highest seats in the Synagogues and the uppermost rooms at feasts Their Phylacteries must be broad and long viz. to be known from other men that they may be bowed to and reverenced of all men Are these the Doctors and Teachers of all others Are these the Disciples and Ministers Christ hath sent out to preach to us the life of Christ by their Doctrine and example Judge ye Beloved ye must know that all Christs actions which were imitable while he was here upon earth they were symbolical they shew that he is yesterday and to day and the same for ever for whatever he did then he did but shew and represent to our senses by external actions what he is still Doing in the souls of men and will be to the end of the world For did he cure diseases in the body he did it to shew us how be cured the diseases of the soul Did he heal the blind and cure the lame cast out Devils dumb Devils and deaf Devils yes yet these do but shew what he doth daily when our mouthes are shut up as to things appertaining to God and his glory his power dispossesses this dumb Devil when our ears are shut up and we can hear nothing but what pleases self and flesh and the carnal man Let the Charmer charm never so wisely now Christs power and wisdom in us dispossesses al of his nature he turns the minstrels out of doors to those deceiving pleasures and allurements of the world that in our crosses make us such deceiving musick he saith Give place and He Himself enters aâ—one and brings us to own and delight in him and in what he administers to us Those actions of his he did then upon the bodies of men do but shew what he doth upon their souls for he then cast out but some Devils not all he healed and cured but some of their diseases not all for that was not the end of his coming for had it been so he would have cast out all Devils as well as some and cured all diseases as well as some but he onely by them did teach our dull capacities which else could not conceive what he did in the soul but by representing the same thing Outwardly even by those things which were most equivalent to them Did he resist the temptations of Satan and so made him depart from him it was to shew that he doth the same in those that are his even by himself in his own person and through his own power in â—hem For whatever actions he did they were done by him onely for a resemblance of his internal workings Did he pray whole nights it doth but shew that his Spirit in us makes continual requests and expressions even with sighs and groans which cannot be expressed Did he come before Pontous Pilate and was accused arraigned whipped buffered mocked and crowned with thorns yea he was and this was to shew how our carnal judgements Arraign him and How we whip him and peirce him by our sins mock and grieve his blessed Spirit Was he nailed to the Cross did he dye and was he put to death by the Jews and was he buried and a stone rolled upon him never to rise again they did so and in these and other his actions lies all our hope and our faith this is our Anchor-hold and our trust and whoever shall deny it let his tongue cleave to the roof of his mouth Yet these were but symbols and representations of our killing of him crucifying and burying of him daily in our souls by our sinâ— by following our own wils and by our Arrogance Pride and selfness and thereby his life is crucified And also it is to shew how we have daily quenched the motions of his blessed spirit so that it lives not in us but the Old Adam the Old man is alive and Christ the New-man is dead within us And so likewise in the rest of his actions Did he â—ise again the third day and triumph over hell and death it shews How this mighty Lion of the Tribe of Iudah hath and will raise up himself and overcome all his enemies and hath and will put them all under his feet in our souls then after he is once arisen he will appears to al the brethren to five hundred brethren at once where-ever Christâ— is risen he will appear and shew himself If I be lifted up I will draw all men unto me as he saith Iohn 12. 32. As you know it is the nature of fire to draw all things to ascend upward to its own center so if Christ be risen and ascended in us he will so display his own glories and beauties in us that he will draw all our affections upto him so that we cannot buâ— eagerly and vehemently desire to be like him to draw all our love to the love of him and all our hatred to hate that which he hateth and all our love to love that which he loveth our hate and love joy and grief and all our other affections to be like his Even as fire also endeavours vehemently to make every thing like it self so doth Christ where-ever he comes with his life light and glory Thus you see that what Christ did for a time in the historie the same he still also doth as truly as really and as constantly in the mysterie he did some things visibly to shew that he doth the same things as truly invisibly he did so much as was enough to manifest himself to be Emanuel and that he was God manifested in the flesh And as I said when Christ was ready to leave the earth then he made this boast of himself and never before did he ascribe this power to himself Even so till we are made one with him till we are made like him and till we can sit so loose to the earth that we are with him ready willingly and freely to leave the earth we can never claim this power till